Van Halen — Pasadena Civic Auditorium and Rose Palace

Van Halen spent their formative years playing backyard parties and local venues across Pasadena before their 1978 debut album made them stars. The band — David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony — developed their explosive live show in the San Gabriel Valley suburbs east of Los Angeles, building a devoted local following that gave them the performance chops to immediately challenge established rock acts when they finally made the big stages. Eddie Van Halen had already established himself as a player of almost supernatural ability before the band's first record was released.

The Van Halens had emigrated from the Netherlands in 1962, settling in Pasadena where their father Jan played jazz clarinet. Eddie and Alex grew up immersed in music and discovered rock through the Pasadena and Los Angeles club scene. Their early sets covered the era's hard rock — Cream, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton — before Eddie began developing the two-handed tapping technique that would make the 'Eruption' solo on their debut one of the most discussed guitar performances in history.

Pasadena Civic Auditorium on East Green Street was among the local venues that hosted Van Halen's early career. The building, a beautiful 1932 Spanish Colonial Revival structure, still hosts events. The Pasadena Rose Palace, another early Van Halen venue, is also in the city. Pasadena as a whole has a rich music history and is worth exploring for fans of West Coast rock.